Drive-wheel for automobiles.



No. 842,069. PATENTED JAN. 22, 1907. J. 0. BRENNAN.

DRIVE WHEEL FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 19,1906.

W1 TNESSES:

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. I I I ATTORNEYS UNirEn s'rATFs PATENT OFFICE.

, 'JAMEs o. BREN AN, or POWERS, MICHIGAN:

DRIVE-WHEEL FOR AUTOMOBILES.

No. 842,069. i

To all whom may concern).- I

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. BRENNAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Powers, in the county of Menominee and State of.

-Michigan, have invented anew and useful -.Drive-Wheel for Automobiles,of which the following is a specification. I

This-invention relates to driving-wheels for automobiles designedfor usein connee-- no tion with runners or bobs forwinter operation when 'thestreets or roads are coveredv with snow and ice. The invention has forone of its objects to provlde a wheel of simple inexpensive constructionand so designed as to produce a maximum tractive--efltect.

A further object of the invention is the pro- I will appear as thenatureofthe invention is better understood, the invention comprises the.various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, whichwill be more fully described hereinafter and set forth withparticularity in the appended claims' H In the accompanyingdrawings,'which illustrate-one of the embodiments of the invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation of a drivingwheel, showing part of thefelly broken away 3 5 and one of the spokes in section. Fig. 2 is an endview with ortions broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged etail View.

V Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated throughout bysimilar characters of reference.

in accordance with the principlesof the pres- .ent invention are.adapted to be used on the rear driving-axle of an automobile in place of5. the usual rubber-tired driving-wheels. 1 The Specification of LettersPatent. v Application filed m 19'. 1906. Serial No. 326.899.

In practice two driving-wheels constructed Patented Jan. 22, 1907.

which may be of any a proved construction and is keyed to the iving-axleshown in part at 2. Radiating from the hub are spokes 3, to the outerends of which are bolted 6 0 or otherwise secured the'rings 4. The ringsare located on the o posite sides of the spokes and are spaced apart bythelatter. They are referably madenin onepiece, although, i (desired,they may be made up of 6 5 segments. Eachspoke is provided with aninwardly-extending bore 5, through the 0 en outer end of which projectsa rod 6. etween the inner end 0 each rod and the inner wall of itsrespective bore is a helical compression-sprin 7, which normallymaintains the rod exten ed. The outer end of the rod extends about aninch and a half or two inches beyond the r m s 4, constituting the fellyof the wheel, an is pointed or otherwise shaped, as at 8, to form as uror surface-engaging member. The spri gs 7 serve to cushion the rod 6, sothat as the weight of the vehicle is transferred from one spur orsurface-engaging member to another un- 80. pleasant shocks will not beproduced. 'In order to hold the rods 6 in their operative position,retaining devices are employed. These each comprise a stop 9, prefera lyin the form of a screw, so as to be removable, that is secured in therod and is movable in a slot 10 of the spoke. The stop is adapted toengage the outer end of the slot when the weight of the vehicle is notbrought to bear on the rod and to move toward the inner end 0 of theslot when the weight is supported by the rod. The slots 10 of the spokesopen outwardly from the rod-containing ,bores, and the outer ends of theslots are covered by hinged covers 11. These covers are each "providedwith a spring'12 for maintaining them normally closed. When it isdesired to renew a rod or a compression-spring, the stop 9 is firsttaken out, so as to permit the rod thereof to be readily removed and anew one inserted. The covers 11 obviously prevent the entrance of dirtto the bore.

Arranged to cooperate with the cushion surface-engaging members arefixed teeth or projections 13. These are arranged one on the outer endof each spoke and are preferably in the form of a wedge, with the edgethereofdisposed transversely to the plane of the wheel, so as to sinkinto the surface of the road and produce a strong tractive effect in- 11o combination with the spurs or surface-engaging members 8. Thewedge-shaped teeth or in the end of the spoke. other means may beemployed for securing projections 13 are about a third of the height ofthe spurs 8, so that they are brought into operation only after thecushioned rods are pressed inwardly by the weight of the Vehicle. Theteeth are each provided with a central shank or stud 14, which may bethreaded, so as to be screwed into a tapped 0 ening Obvious y any theteeth to the spokes;

F rom the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings,

4 tus which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof; but Idesire to have it-understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative and that various changes may be .made when desired as arewithin the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is- 1. A wheel comprising a hub, spokes pro videdwithlongitudinally-extending bores,

felly-rings extending'along the opposite sides of the spokes, cushionedsurface-engaging members, arranged in the bores of the spokes, and fixedsurface-engaging members disose'd on the outer ends of the s okes andadacent. to thev cushioned surface-engaging members;

l 2. A wheel comprising a hub, spokes provided withlongitudinally-extending bores and transversely-extending slotscommunicating with the bores, cushioned surface-engaging members in thebores, stops connect-- ed with the members and disposed in the slots toengage the end walls of the latter, and a spring-closed cover on each ofthe spokes to cover the slot thereof. l

3. YA wheel comprising a hub, spokes provided withlongitudinally-extendmg bores, felly-rings connected with the spokes,cushion surface-engaging members in the bores of the spokes arrangedwith their outer ends located between and projecting beyond thetelly-rings, and wedge-shaped surface-engaging members arranged in fixedrelation on the outer ends of the spokes and between the felly-ri'ngs.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afi'ixedmy signature-in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES C. BRENNAN.

Witnesses:

, GEO. H, LAWRENCE,

CHAS. D. SYMoNDs.

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